


Dream Meme Island

by baklashrimp



Category: Fire Emblem: Fuukasetsugetsu | Fire Emblem: Three Houses
Genre: F/F, Fluff and Humor, Island - Freeform, M/M, Modern AU, Multi, Summer Vacation, pre-release
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-07-25
Updated: 2019-07-25
Packaged: 2020-07-19 19:02:24
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,323
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19978972
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/baklashrimp/pseuds/baklashrimp
Summary: Modernish au where everyone gets to go to a tropical island! These kids need a break man. Hope you guys enjoy!





	Dream Meme Island

**Author's Note:**

  * For [miyuseway](https://archiveofourown.org/users/miyuseway/gifts), [Professor-Babeleth (Lilmisschique)](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Lilmisschique/gifts), [haemocyanin](https://archiveofourown.org/users/haemocyanin/gifts), [quags1re](https://archiveofourown.org/users/quags1re/gifts), [anthiese](https://archiveofourown.org/users/anthiese/gifts), [casualbird](https://archiveofourown.org/users/casualbird/gifts), [rulanarinrush](https://archiveofourown.org/users/rulanarinrush/gifts).



> I started writing this as crack for my discord server but then I ended up putting a lot of effort into it. Also this is my first fanfic! (Also i didn't know Mercedes and Annette's canon ages when i wrote this so just take their pairing with a grain of salt labeled "what could have been")

“Ow!!! FRICK!!” 

Linhardt glanced over at Caspar. His best friend was holding a coconut and rubbing his head. Needless to say Linny could connect the dots. They had only been on this island for 5 minutes and Cas was already hurting himself. 

“Stop fooling around Casper,” Linhardt sighed, and if his voice was a  _ little _ fond his friend was none the wiser. This was gonna be a long vacation.

“Lin! Are we not best friends?! Where’s your  _ loving _ concern for me? I was Injured! Don’t you care if your BFF is hurt?” Casper pouted, the spitting image of a kicked puppy.

Linhardt merely rolled his eyes and continued to walk on ahead of Caspar, conveniently hiding a small smile.  _ Interesting… _

Hilda and Claude shared a knowing look accompanied with a smirk. They looked ready to cause all sorts of mischief. 

All of the students had won a vacation to a private island. Everyone assumed the three lords had something to do with it but no one cared to question it. They could all desperately use a break. And hey! No adults! Well except for Byleth but they were barely an adult. The kids knew their professor brought alcohol with them, despite Jeralt’s warnings against it. Sothis also weaseled her way in on the vacation and with her in tow the students were unable to take Byleth seriously.

Everyone scurried to the resort to unpack all of their things as quickly as possible so that they could begin enjoying the island. The first activity would of course be  _ the beach _ . And  _ the beach _ meant swimsuits. 

Sylvain was in the lounge of the resort practically ready to jump out of his skin as we waited for Ferdinand to get changed. “Seiros I bet Ferd is gonna look so hot…”

“I wouldn’t count on it,” Felix remarked. Knowing Ferdinand, Sylvain wouldn't get what he wanted. Sylvain, however, looked quite nice Felix had to admit (but only in his mind where no one could judge him but himself). The redhead had donned a hawaiian print shirt which was left open as if to accentuate the man’s abs and regular blue swim trunks. Sure there were those absolutely  _ atrocious  _ **_crocs_ ** that Felix could barely stand to look at, but one could not help but  _ ogle _ at- ANYWAY

It was then that Ferdinand came out and saved Felix from having to further address his thoughts. And BOY did Ferdinand deliver, just not in the way Sylvain had wanted. Felix couldn’t help but bust a gut laughing, his usually sour demeanor softened at how  _ ridiculous  _ Ferdinand von Aegir looked in full on scuba gear. Sylvain was much less delighted and looked like someone had just killed his brother in front of him.

“Is something the matter with you two?” Ferdinand adjusted his goggles and Sylvain damn near cried. Damn Ferdinand... Hiding the sexy away… If Sylvain didn’t see him shirtless at least once during this vacation, he swore to Seiros that he would jump in the ocean and let the water carry him away. 

“I- I’m fine,” Sylvain managed to choke out. He was hunched over like he had taken a harsh blow to the stomach.  _ Well it could be worse _ , Sylvain thought. At least Felix was nice and shirtless. Actually no he wasn’t. He was wearing a tank top but  _ under _ the tank top he was shirtless! Gotta focus on the positives. They were only on the island for a few days. There was no time to mourn the loss of Ferdinand’s abs… and yet... that wouldn't stop Sylvain.

  
  


Ferdinand turned his attention to Bernadetta. She was curled up on the couch with her nose in a book like usual. 

“Bernadetta!” Ferdinand spoke loudly, so as to get her attention and the girl jumped.

“Y-yes?” She asked meekly, only just barely peering up at him from behind her book and giving the appearance of a child about to be scolded by her mother.

“Have you put on sunscreen yet?” Ferdinand squinted at her. Even if Bernadetta said yes he probably wouldn’t believe her.

“No… I don't even plan on going outside so-”

“That simply will not do! Come here and put some on right now!”

Bernadetta glanced at the door to see if she could escape but  _ of course _ Sylvain and Felix had to be in the way. Sylvain even had the gall to smile at her, as if he were mocking her hypothetical escape.  _ Drats… _ Bernadetta sighed before obeying meekly. There was no use going against Ferdinand. The guy was stubborn. He at least had the decency to hand Bernie the sunscreen tube and let her do it herself, instead of slathering it all over her face and  _ really _ treating her like a child. It didn’t take the girl very long to do as she wasn’t even wearing a swimsuit, just a hoodie and shorts.

After Ferdinand seemed to be pleased with her sunscreen application, he nodded in approval. “Alright you are now free to go about your day, Bernadetta.... For the next two hours that is. I will check on you and make sure you  _ reapply _ your sunscreen. Especially if you choose to go outside. Sunburns and skin cancer are no laughing matter you know!”

Bernadetta wanted nothing more than to crawl back to her room and escape this lecture. She already had overbearing parents. She didn’t need another one. Though… Bernadetta had to admit it was kind of nice to have someone who actually cared about her well-being. 

“Yes, yes,  _ mother _ . That’s all well and good and we’ll be sure to catch your seminar on the dangers of UV rays some other time, but can we  _ please _ get to the beach already?” Sylvain whined. “I need to catch some killer waves today and at this rate the sun’s gonna go down!”

“I suppose you are right, Sylvain. Sorry to keep everyone. Let us make our way to the beach,” Ferdinand said before glancing at Bernadetta one last time. “Remember! Two hours!”

Bernie nodded numbly as Sylvain and Felix practically dragged Ferdinand outside. At least now she could have some peace and quiet.

Most of the students were already at the beach enjoying themselves. Dedue was relaxing under an umbrella with Mercedes. Together, they watched over their friends diligently as they weren’t really ones for playing around in the water. Mercie was armed with a first aid kit, towels, sunscreen, and snacks for everyone. Her bag was locked and loaded, ready to solve any problem. 

Dedue calmly took in the scenery. He breathed in the salty ocean air and felt years younger. Who knew just taking a moment to breath could be so refreshing? The island was positively beautiful and Dedue was entranced by the tropical flora and fauna. He, Ashe, and Petra had already gushed about it to each other and planned to take a walk around the island later in order to properly admire the hibiscus flowers. 

Mercedes swore  _ was _ watching everyone. She really did but she couldn’t help but pay her girlfriend a little extra attention. Annette was splashing around in the sea with Ashe. Mercie couldn’t help but stare at Annie. The girl just looked so radiant as she laughed openly and played with their friend. Mercedes found herself blushing at the thought and she pulled her sun hat over her face. Maybe the heat was just getting to her.

Along the shore were Flayn and Cyril. Somehow they had managed to escape Seteth and Shamir respectively to make it to the island. Together with Lysithea they played in the sand, creating absolutely gigantic sand castles. At least they looked huge in comparison to the short stature of the children. 

Cyril mainly did the construction of the castles while Flayn retrieved water in small plastic pails. Then Lysithea would come in and decorate all the windows and doors with small shells she found. Flayn finished it off by placing her giant beach ball as a lawn ornament of sorts in front of the castle. In the end their castle was big enough to fit one person. A pretty amazing feat considering they knew nothing about architecture. 

Flayn even had the brilliant idea of inviting Dorothea to sing in their castle, which the young woman did without question. Dottie performed a wonderful rendition of “Part of Your World” from _ The Little Mermaid _ . Even Cyril had to hand it to Dorothea, it was quite the captivating performance. 

Meanwhile, some of the boys had set up a pseudo-volleyball net and were playing quite the intense match. 

“GO LONG!” Caspar yelled as he served the volleyball over the net. 

“You don’t do that in volleyball, idiot,” Felix scoffed.

“WHATEVER FELIX WE’RE GONNA BEAT YOU ANYWAY!!!!”

“Wrong my team will prevail!” Ferdinand chimed in. There was no way he was losing to someone half his height, moreover, someone on a team with… Lorenz. It was Felix, Raphael, and Ferdinand vs. Caspar, Dimitri, and Lorenz. A truly interesting team up.

At least Ferdinand had changed out of his horrendous scuba gear after being thoroughly scolded by Hilda about how “unattractive” it was and how being on this vacation was an opportunity to “get some.” Ferdinand had no idea what “some” referred to but he took it to mean he was missing out somehow. Regardless, the only other swimsuit he brought was a neon orange speedo. The retail worker at the store said it “increased your swimming speed” and that had been a good enough reason as any to get it.

“The team that fights for justice will win. Therefore, my team will surely be victorious-”

“Oh put a sock in it Dimitri!” Felix interrupted the prince. “It’s just volleyball! There’s no  _ justice  _ in volleyball!” Felix said as he spiked the ball directly into Caspar’s face. 

“Play nice,” Byleth chided from their resting place under a palm tree and they considered their “parenting” done for the day. The teacher was sipping a smoothie with a tiny umbrella inside as decoration and they decided now was a good time to emotionally check out. 

“OW!!!” Caspar dramatically clutched his face. “WHY DO I KEEP GETTING LETHAL INJURIES?!”

“Don’t worry, Caspar, I will avenge you,” Dimitri said solemnly. He spiked the ball but Raphael easily blocked it and sent it flying back.

“Maybe if you worked out more and got swole like me you wouldn't have these problems, Caspar!” Raphael offered. “I could make you a five step program that would get you  _ major _ gains bro.”

“No!” Caspar protested. “Raph, I’m already EXTREMELY strong!!! Just ask Linhardt! I give the  _ best _ hugs!”

That comment made everyone pause the game to give Caspar  _ the look _ . Even Dimitri looked a little fed up, despite being just as dense as Caspar.

“What’s that look for?!” Caspar responded incredulously. Everyone collectively groaned and went back into playing position. Caspar was so confused. Lorenz used the lull of the game and Caspar’s stupidity to score a point. He had been racking them up since the game started and quite frankly everyone was scared of him. 

Lorenz definitely used his insane height to his advance and it even made his own team members a little miffed. 

“If you plebs don’t start paying attention to me you’re going to lose more than just this game.” Lorenz smirked, gaining another point for his team. It was like Dimitri and Caspar weren’t even there.

“No one wants to pay attention to you!” Felix hissed. 

“Well I suppose that plays into my favor currently, now doesn’t it?” Lorenz said. 

“Not necessarily,” Ferdinand tutted, managing to get a point while Lorenz was being full of himself. 

Lorenz let out a VERY loud gasp. “Von Aegir, how  _ dare _ you?!” That was it! Lorenz was going all out. How dare they take advantage of him in a moment of monologuing? Didn’t they know how  _ rude  _ that was?! They would be sure to pay!

Felix’s team didn’t even last another 5 minutes before being absolutely decimated by Lorenz. Felix saw red and stalked off without another word. Ferdinand sent a glare in the other team’s direction before following after Felix. 

Raphael stayed behind to be a good sport. He shook hands with the other boys. “Good game! You guys really pounded us but next time we’ll be sure to beat you!” 

“...Please do not refer to it as ‘pounding’ but yes you are right that I beat you and your teammates quite easily,” Lorenz preened.

“Lorenz! We were on a team! There's no ‘i’ in ‘team,’ you know-” Caspar complained and Dimitri put a hand on the boy’s shoulder to quiet him. There was no winning with Lorenz. Dimitri had heard enough from Claude to know that. 

Dimitri looked at Caspar as if to say “let him have this” and while Caspar pouted and grumbled under his breath he made no more attempts at getting credit from Lorenz.

“Fine. I’m gonna go hang out with Linny then,” Caspar huffed, making a beeline for his friend, who was fast asleep on a beach towel. Seeing Linhardt sleep so peacefully gave Caspar a great idea. 

It took awhile but soon enough Linhardt was completely buried in the sand from the neck down. He even built a tiny sand castle out of the mound on top of Linhardt for good measure. Caspar tried to stifle his laughter as to not wake Lin up but he couldn’t help letting out a few giggles.

Dorothea came over to see was the fuss was all about and the first thing she did was snap a picture of buried Linhardt with her phone before letting out a laugh herself. “How is he still not awake?” 

“I don’t know! I think this is just Linny’s thing! Maybe for the talent show we can have a dual act! He can sleep on stage, while I try everything to wake him up! Maybe we can even make it big enough to be in the circus!”

“Oh I would pay to see that,” Dorothea smiled. “You two should become my opening act. We’ll make millions.”

Caspar gasped and his whole face lit up. “Dorothea that would be even better than the circus, wow!” 

“Oh yes I know. Performing with me would be a great honor for you and your boyfriend. I am a star after all!”

“Wh- boyfriend? Dorothea, what do you mean by boyfri-”

“Shhh Cas,” Dottie held a finger to her lips. “I am needed elsewhere, but why don’t you think on that,” She winked. “I’m sure you’ll get it eventually.”

Caspar glanced down at Linhardt, still asleep and unaware of Dottie’s comments. He cocked his head to the side in thought. “Well… we are  _ boys _ and we are  _ friends _ … I guess that’s what she meant!” 

Eventually Ferdinand convinced Bernadetta to come outside, after another gracious coat of sunscreen, but the most Bernie did was float around in an inner tube while Lysithea swam circles around her in her floaties. Bernadetta wanted to go back inside. She could practically  _ feel _ the sunburn setting it. 

Petra and Sylvain had decided to tear up the waves together and honestly they were both  _ damn good  _ at it. Ferdinand and Felix watched Sylvain from the shore. Sylvain's focused expression as he surfed made Ferdinand's breath hitch and Felix found himself unable to look away. 

The furrowed brow. The sweat mingling with the salt water, making the two indistinguishable from one another. The way his eyes sparked with excitement whenever he managed to properly ride out a wave. Felix and Ferdinand were absolutely  _ whipped _ .

Leonie whooped and hollered at Petra. She screamed every time Petra did a trick and Leonie  _ swore _ she saw Petra wink at her!

Petra was truly one with the water. It reminded her of home.  _ Her home _ . This vacation may have been the most Petra had smiled since she enrolled at the Officers Academy. 

Petra felt lighter with every wave. 

In the middle of the day, Byleth made everyone lunch on a miniature barbecue set their father had forced them to bring. The professor grilled up all the meat they could swindle from the resort’s kitchen and it was barely enough to feed the students, even with the addition of Mercedes’s snacks. 

Raphael and Caspar combined made quite the ravenous duo. They wolfed down most of the food much to the dismay of the other students. Ingrid ended up grabbing them by the ears and giving them a lecture about sharing food equally despite being no saint herself. She may or may not have eaten all of the cookies Ferdinand baked earlier, but the boys didn’t need to know that.

Sothis was quite the food stealer as well. The entire time Byleth grilled she was nearby,  _ waiting _ . Whenever Byleth looked away, a small hand snatched a patty directly from the grill. Byleth knew Sothis was stealing but quite frankly they didn’t care enough to confront her. Let the child eat half cooked meat and get salmonella. Who was Byleth to judge? 

After lunch Leonie decided to bench press as many girls as possible. 

“Ladies,” Leonie kissed her biceps effectively making all the girls in her vicinity swoon. “Who would like a ticket to the gun show?”

“Oh me, me!” Dottie exclaimed, sidling up to Leonie.

“Me too!” Hilda giggled. 

“You got it!” Leonie picked up both of the girls and balanced them on each of her arms. She made quite a show of of it and was rightly very proud of herself for being able to hold beautiful girls. Edelgard watched the three enviously as she sipped some kind of fruity concoction.  _ Seiros I want to be held by a strong lady _ she thought. She wished her drink was alcoholic.

“Woah, are we having a lifting contest?” Raphael asked. He had finally finished eating his fill and had gotten curious over the comonotion his housemate was making. 

“If we are i’ve already won,” Leonie quipped. “I have a lovely girl on each arm and I don't see you with any beauties Raph.” Hilda and Dottie snickered.

“Wait a minute I want to compete too! I’ll show you what I can do with these sick muscles!” Raphael ran off and scooped up Ignatz, placing the boy on his shoulders before he could utter even a word of protest. Iggy had been trying to paint ocean for hours but well so much for that he supposed. Raphael also managed to snatch up Ashe and a completely out of it Linhardt, setting them on his shoulders. 

“Hah looks I win, Leonie. Check and mate,” Raphael puffed out his chest. Either he was completely ignoring Ignatz and Ashe asking to be put down or he simply didn’t notice. It was probably the latter.

“Ha! You think you’re so tough!” Leonie smirked. She knelt down on the ground. “Ladies step ride up your  _ ride  _ awaits.”

Lysithea squealed at the thought of a piggy back ride but she quickly hid it with a cough.  _ Calmly _ , she walked up to Leonie and attached herself to the older girl’s back. Leonie smiled once Lysithea was securely in place and stood up triumphantly. 

“Seems more like its a draw, bonehead.” 

“Dammit!”

“Uh, hello? Raph...? Raphael? Earth to Raphael Kirsten? Can you PLEASE put us down?” Ignatz huffed. He just wanted to paint. Was that really so much to ask?

Away from the commotion, Edelgard was taking a stroll along the beach. Even on vacation she was a vision of grace and stability. Hubert trailed closely behind her, holding a parasol to protect her from the sun’s rays. There was no way Hubert would let a hot ball of gas millions of miles away hurt his lady. While Edelgard appreciated it, his concern was quite overbearing and his edgy black hoodie couldn’t cover his seirosawful speedo. It turned him into quite the embarrassment to be around. 

"Hubert, I hope you’re aware that you don't need to do this. I am perfectly capable of entertaining myself while you do something else. Chances to relax are quite rare. It would do you good to take some time for yourself," Edelgard said.  _ And get that speedo away from me _ , she thought.

Hubert considered his lady’s words for a moment. “Lady Edelgard I am well aware of the fact that this behavior is not _ required _ of me. I am doing this of my own volition because I want to serve you.”

Edelgard suppressed a grimace.  _ But I don’t want you to!  _ She wanted to scream. “Yes,” She swallowed. “But to be honest, I would like to have some time alone. That is if you wouldn’t mind.”

Hubert got the message. He knew how his lady enjoyed her time alone and seeing as a vacation was meant to be an enjoyable experience Hubert found himself caving to her will. He nodded, “I understand, my lady.”

“Thank you, Hubert, I-”

“But at least let me accompany you back to the resort.”

Edelgard groaned at her retainer’s excessiveness.  _ More time with the speedo  _ she grimaced. Truthfully, she wanted to join in on the festivities but Edelgard still found herself staying closed off, unable to take a break from being a leader. Even at this so called tropical "paradise" she couldn't stand to let her guard down. 

The other lords were a different story. Claude found himself having a great time as he teased and pestered everyone with Hilda. Their sworn mission was to get everyone who obviously had a crush to confess! What great fun it was to pry into others’ love lives! And hey if Claude and Hilda somehow obtained dates of their own… well that just sounds like a win-win situation!

Just like Dedue, Dimitri appreciated the scenery of the island. It was so different from Faerghus’s harsh winters. Dimitri found the warmth of the sunlight rejuvenating. So it was no surprise that he seemed to gravitate towards Claude, who shined just as brightly as the sun did. Claude didn’t seem to mind Dimitri’s company either, which was extremely suspicious to Hilda. She didn’t mention it though, as Claude was her partner in crime and he most definitely knew all of Hilda’s secrets. She wasn't really one to test Seiros like that. It was too much effort.

While Claude was preoccupied with Dimitri being a bumbling idiot at romance, Hilda spotted Marianne. She was crouched down near the water’s edge and seemed to be watching something. 

Hilda approached Marianne, cocking her head to the side curiously. “Whatcha lookin at, Mari?”

Marianne jumped at the sudden voice but turned slowly to look at her housemate. “Oh… I'm just watching these fish.” 

Hilda crouched down beside Marianne, getting  _ way  _ too close in Marianne’s opinion. Hilda’s hand brushed her shoulder and Marianne could feel her own face grow warm. 

”Awh look at the little guys go!” Hilda smiled and Marianne found herself paying much more attention to the girl next to her than the fish. Hilda really was much cuter than any animal Marianne had ever seen. No comparisons could do her justice really and Marianne couldn’t help but stare. 

Hilda looked great in anything but her bright pink swimsuit attracted one’s eyes and screamed “give me attention,” which Marianne did unwittingly.

“Oh Mari!” Hilda suddenly squealed, breaking Marianne out of whatever trance she was in. “Look! I see a dolphin!”

Marianne snapped her gaze to the horizon almost immediately, searching the sea desperately. When she finally spotted the pod of dolphins, a grin lit up her face and it was Hilda’s turn to be flabbergasted. 

“ _Wow_ ,” Marianne breathed and Hilda couldn’t help but think it was quite a shame that Marianne smiled so rarely. _A pity really._ Hilda decided she would get Marianne to lighten up like that as often as possible. The dolphins disappeared just as soon as they came but Marianne’s smile didn’t. The girl looked like she might cry from sheer joy. _Cute_ Hilda thought.

“Mari why don’t we go feed the seagulls?” Hilda suggested suddenly. She took Marianne’s hand and pulled them both up. “There’s a sign that says you’re not supposed to and I  _ love _ breaking the rules!”

Marianne was pretty sure she had absolutely no say in this matter. She never really did when it came to Hilda. So Mari gave a small nod, tucking a lock of blue hair behind her ear with her free hand. She was still flustered and while the euphoria from seeing real life  _ dolphins  _ clouded Marianne’s mind, having such a pretty girl hold her hand still made her head spin. Marianne let Hilda lead her away, wondering all the while why Seiros would torture her like this…

The seagulls seemed to love Marianne after she fed them, especially since they had tried to eat Dimitri’s hair earlier. They refused to leave her side the rest of the day, begging for food with every caw and gaining in numbers fast. Marianne was honestly grateful for the company as they created something of a barrier between her and Hilda. 

The girl in question didn’t seem to notice Marianne’s attempts at creating distance between them as she continued to seek Marianne out. Hilda even took numerous shots of what Marianne could only assume were unflattering photos of her (she was wrong of course they were beautiful pictures and one may or may not have ended up as Hilda’s new lock screen).

After the sun set, the house leaders gathered all of the students up in front of the resort to enjoy a bonfire (and of course the alcohol) together.

Byleth was the one that set the fire and the alcohol up. They didn’t trust any of the kids to handle it and honestly Byleth just wanted to set something on fire. 

“Let there be light,” Byleth said monotonously as they lit the giant pile of wood on fire. The professor seemed almost murderous with their eyes reflecting the fire strangely but the students thought better than to comment on it. Sothis seemed entranced by the fire as well and she ran around, collecting random things to chuck into the fire.

Sothis even managed to snatch someone’s  _ bathing suit _ , which she most definitely threw into the fire and thoroughly enjoyed watching burn. Who said it was ok for her to come on vacation again?

The swimsuit was no longer recognizable… but it was worth noting that Hubert wasn’t around…

“How about I tell a ghost story?” Mercedes suggested all too brightly. 

“Maybe you could…. Uh… not do that?” Ashe said. He was sweating.  _ Interesting. _

“Yeah, I don't know, Mercedes…Not that I’M scared or anything… But there are kids around, you know…” Lysithea piped up. _ More Interesting _ . One could assume she was talking about Sothis or Cyril but they looked to be on the edge of their seats, completely ready for an absolute thriller.

“Yeah it seems like there are better uses of our time… Like sleeping,” Linhardt tried to say offhandedly but he was shaking.  _ Very interesting! _ Claude couldn’t help but scheme when he learned other people’s weaknesses. 

“Don’t worry! The one I have in mind is quite mild!” Mercedes laughed.

“Yes, please tell us the story!” Annette exclaimed. A scary story was the perfect excuse for her to cuddle up to Mercedes! 

“Anything for you Annie,” Mercedes gave her girlfriend a light peck on the cheek.

Ashe opened his mouth to protest but it was Byleth who stopped him.

“Please share your story Mercedes.” The professor seemed to be quite interested in anything involving the supernatural for some reason.

As Mercedes began her tale, getting worryingly into character, Linhardt found himself edging closer and closer to Caspar. Originally, the two had been seated on opposite ends of a bench but the more Mercedes went into detail about blood splattering on someone’s face or eyes being gouged out the closer the boys seemed to get. Their hands brushed multiple times and while Casper seemingly thought nothing of it, Linhardt dared not even look at his friend.

Lysithea and Ashe huddled close together as well. Despite their obvious fear, they hung onto every word Mercedes said. Byleth listened much less attentively but they seemed more interested in this than anything else.

When Mercedes finally reached the ending of her story she clapped her hands together gleefully. “Wasn’t that interesting? They say that the body isn’t even in the tomb anymore!”

Linhardt was wondering how Annette could possibly be asleep on Mercedes’s lap while he was stuck being awake when a scream made him absolutely jump out of skin.

“BOO!” Claude yelled in Linhardt’s ear. 

Linhardt instinctively jumped at the person closest to him, who unfortunately happened to be Caspar. Fu-

Somehow Caspar managed to catch his friend in his arms. It was better than Claude could ever hope for. He almost fell on the ground in his laughter and Linhardt’s entire face turned red.

“Man, Linny your face was  _ priceless _ ! Hilda, please tell me you got a picture of that!” Claude said.

“Oh you bet!” Hilda held up her phone to show the picture off. Linhardt honestly looked like a ghost himself in it. A blurry screaming face and a wide-eyed Caspar.  _ Seiros end him now _ .

“Wow, Mercedes, that was really spooky! Seems like even Lin here was scared!” Caspar laughed. He still hadn’t put Linhardt down.  _ Seiros kill him. End him right now. Strike him with lightning- _

“Yes… it was quite intriguing,” Byleth said.

“Oh yes! I have many more stories! I wouldn’t mind sharing another-” Mercedes began.

“Please!” Lysithea interrupted. “No more! T-the children…”

“Yes think of the children!” Ashe agreed. 

Mercedes glanced at Cyril and Sothis who were excitedly discussing the parts involving the most gore. “It is getting kind of late I suppose…”

“Time to bring out the alcohol then!” Claude was already setting up shot glasses. 

“We really don’t need to consume alcohol to have fun-” Dimitri tried to say but one wink from Claude and the blond shut right up.

“Come on, Dimitri! Live a little. The night is young and so are we. Besides Teach is the one who brought the alcohol! Obviously we’re trusted individuals.” A smile.  _ Well now Claude was just playing dirty. _

“Here, why don't you and I have the first shots?” Claude didn’t even wait for Dimitri to respond before he downed a shot. Claude quickly refilled the small glass and handed it to Dimitri. The prince had no idea what was even in it. Dimitri looked at Claude and around at his friends. There was no getting out of this. He allowed himself a sigh before drinking the shot. It burned in a way Dimitri found unpleasant. 

Only when Dimitri caught Claude looking at him strangely, did the prince realize that he had just shared an indirect kiss with Claude von Riegan.  _ Seiros be damned- _

Despite Dimitri’s boy problems, the night went on. The kids continued their drinking contest and after much convincing to join in Bernadetta somehow won. That girl could drink like a fish apparently and surprisingly Raphael was one of the first ones to pass out.

Edelgard didn’t join in on the drinking. She was far too sophisticated for such games. She hung in the background with Byleth and watched as everyone made a fool of themselves. She thought everyone looked absolutely idiotic. Caspar was running around with someone’s underwear on his head for Seiro’s sake and Sylvain was drunkenly singing love songs to Felix and Ferdinand. 

However, Edelgard couldn’t help but regard the group fondly. They all really meant so much to her and truthfully she was glad to spend this time with them. 

"We should all do this again in five years," Edelgard said quietly, more so to herself than the professor next to her, Byleth assumed. They saw the girl’s lips quirk up in a smile, just a little. It was small but Byleth would never mistake it. 

“Yes, we should,” Byleth found themselves smiling as well and they wondered if the wish would ever come to fruition.

  
  
  
  
  
  
  



End file.
